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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

龙池

The Dragon Pool

李商隐

Li Shangyin

咏史Historical subject (yongshi) 讽刺Satire

龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停。
夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒。

At the Dragon Pool the wine is given out behind the cloud screen,
and the risen beat of the skin drum silences all other music.
Half the night, the feast over, the palace clock drags on,
Prince Xue lies sunk in wine, and Prince Shou lies wide awake.

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Meaning

Li Shangyin writes about a night of feasting at the Dragon Pool in the Tang palace, where the emperor gives wine behind a painted cloud screen and the khalts of the skin drum drown all other music. The last line is the whole point: by the small hours the prince who is the emperor's brother lies drunk, while the prince whose wife was taken into the palace lies awake. The satire is delivered in a single factual contrast, with no word of blame, and it is among the most famous of late Tang historical quatrains.

龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停。夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The first two lines are pure ceremony: wine given at the Dragon Pool behind an open cloud screen, and a khalts so loud that the rest of the band must fall silent. The third line slows everything to a stop — half the night passes, the feast is over, and the palace water-clock still drags on. Then the last two words fall: one prince is sunk in his wine, the other is awake. [Structure] The poem is a riddle of three lines and an answer. Two of ornament, one of time, and then a contrast placed so late and so briefly that the reader feels it as a blow. Nothing is explained and nothing is named. [Imagery] 'Wine given behind the cloud screen' is privacy inside ceremony — the screen is opened for the feast and shut again on the scandal. 'The khalts rise, all other music stops' is noise as empire: one instrument and everything else silenced. And the two sleeping brothers at the end are the poem's true picture: one drowned, one remembering. Li Shangyin's art here is to write a whole court in four lines and to leave the judgement to the reader.

【白话串讲】李商隐写《龙池》：“龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停”——“夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒”——他写玄宗赐酒——寿王醒着——他暗写玄宗夺儿媳之事。【意象与手法】此诗写咏史，以讽刺写咏史，是李商隐的名篇。前三句写宴乐：「龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停。夜半宴归宫漏永」写龙池赐酒敞云屏、羯鼓声高众乐停、夜半宴归宫漏永——写尽龙池的宴乐；后一句写讽刺：「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写薛王沉醉寿王醒——写尽寿王的清醒。全诗以讽刺写咏史，写尽龙池的宴乐与寿王的清醒，是李商隐的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写咏史，以讽刺写咏史，是李商隐的名篇。此诗写唐玄宗夺儿媳寿王妃（杨玉环）的宫中丑事。寿王为玄宗之子，其妃杨玉环被玄宗看中，先度为女道士，后册为贵妃。李商隐以此诗咏其事，而不着一字贬词，只写寿王在宴会上「独醒」之态，讽刺尽在不言中。此诗写宴乐：龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停——写龙池赐酒敞云屏、羯鼓声高众乐停，写尽龙池的宴乐；夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒——写夜半宴归宫漏永、薛王沉醉寿王醒，写尽寿王的清醒。全诗以讽刺写咏史——那「羯鼓声高众乐停」写尽龙池的宴乐，「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写尽寿王的清醒，写尽龙池的宴乐与寿王的清醒，是理解李商隐咏史诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停」写龙池的宴乐；「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写寿王的清醒；以及全诗以讽刺写咏史、以不言写讽刺的手法。

Background

Li Shangyin (c. 813–c. 858), courtesy name Yishan, from Huai Zhou, was the greatest Tang poet of the late period. The Dragon Pool was a pond in the northern part of the Tang palace at Chang'an, and the feasting there is associated with Xuanzong and his brothers, who were given pools and mansions by the emperor; Xuanzong was famously kind to his siblings, who are the 'Princes' of the last line. Prince Xue and Prince Shou are two of these brothers, and Shou is the Prince of Shou whose wife was taken by her uncle into the palace and made consort — the same scandal that the poet's 'Reflections on Mount Li' treats. The poem is a late-Tang historical quatrain at its most compressed.

此诗写咏史，以讽刺写咏史，是李商隐的名篇。李商隐（约813—约858），字义山，号玉谿生，怀州河内（今河南沁阳）人，晚唐诗人，与杜牧合称「小李杜」，与温庭筠合称「温李」。此诗写唐玄宗夺儿媳寿王妃（杨玉环）的宫中丑事。寿王为玄宗之子，其妃杨玉环被玄宗看中，先度为女道士，后册为贵妃。李商隐以此诗咏其事，而不着一字贬词，只写寿王在宴会上「独醒」之态，讽刺尽在不言中。此诗写宴乐：「龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停」写龙池赐酒敞云屏、羯鼓声高众乐停——写尽龙池的宴乐（龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停）；「夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒」写夜半宴归宫漏永、薛王沉醉寿王醒——写尽寿王的清醒（夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒）。全诗以讽刺写咏史，写尽龙池的宴乐与寿王的清醒，是理解李商隐咏史诗的重要篇章。龙池在长安兴庆宫内，本为隆庆坊，唐玄宗为临淄王时宅邸所在，因池中有龙祥之瑞而名，玄宗即位后建兴庆宫于此，龙池遂为玄宗宴乐之所。开元末，玄宗强纳寿王李瑁之妃杨玉环入宫，先度为女道士号太真，后册为贵妃，是唐代宫廷的一大丑闻。

Art

Four techniques. First, the screen as the organising image: 'the wine is given out behind the cloud screen' places the whole feasting inside a curtain, which both frames the scene and hints at what is happening behind it. Second, one instrument made to bear the whole court: 'the risen beat of the skin drum silences all other music' — one drum, and every other instrument stilled, so music becomes domination. Third, time used as a pause: 'half the night, the feast over, the palace clock drags on' — nothing happens, and in that emptiness the reader is prepared for what comes next. Fourth, and after three lines of scene, the contrast that carries the poem: 'Prince Xue lies sunk in wine, and Prince Shou lies wide awake' — the two brothers named, one asleep in drink, one awake to what happened, and not one word of reproach spoken. The poem therefore works by deferral and by understatement, which is why its last two words travel farther than any complaint would.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以白描写宴乐。「龙池赐酒敞云屏」以白描写宴乐——那「赐酒」「敞云屏」写尽龙池的赐酒，以白描写尽宫中宴乐的奢华。其二，以声响写盛况。「羯鼓声高众乐停」以声响写盛况——那「声高」「众乐停」写尽羯鼓的高亢，以声响写尽宴乐的盛况。其三，以对照写夜宴。「夜半宴归宫漏永」以对照写夜宴——那「夜半」「宫漏永」写尽夜宴的久长，以对照写尽宴归的深夜。其四，以反讽写讽刺。「薛王沉醉寿王醒」以反讽写讽刺——那「沉醉」「寿王醒」写尽醉醒的对照，以反讽写尽讽刺的深致。此外，此诗前三句写龙池的宴乐，后一句写寿王的清醒，由宴及醒，正是咏史诗「以不言写讽刺」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以讽刺写咏史，写尽龙池的宴乐与寿王的清醒，是李商隐的代表作。此诗还善于以「宫漏永」的意象写寿王的无眠——那「宫漏永」写漏声悠长、长夜漫漫，正是寿王辗转难眠的暗示，以夜的漫长写内心的煎熬。又善以「薛王沉醉寿王醒」的强烈对照收束——同是宗室，一醉一醒，醉者得乐，醒者含痛，讽刺全在对照之中。

Allusions

Everything in the poem names a place or a person from the Tang court and the earlier history. 'Dragon Pool' is the pond in the northern palace where Xuanzong and his brothers drank; 'cloud screen' is the painted silk screen of the banquet. 'The skin drum' is the small head-drum of the steppe that opened a Tang feast; its sound was so loud that it drove every other instrument silent, and the drum was the instrument of the court band. 'The palace clock' (gong lou) is the water clock of the palace, the measure of the night. 'Prince Xue' is one of Xuanzong's brothers, who like the others was given a pool and a mansion. 'Prince Shou' is the Prince of Shou, Li Mao, whose wife Yang Yuhuan was taken into the palace by her uncle, made consort, and died at Ma Wei — the fact that makes his wakefulness the poem's reproach. The allusiveness is total: the reader is expected to know the court, and the poem's history is carried in two names.

此诗的用语深植于咏史与讽刺传统。「龙池」令人想到「龙池」写兴庆宫的意象——龙池在兴庆宫内，为唐玄宗旧邸，也令人想到「龙池赐酒」的意象；「云屏」令人想到「云屏」写屏风的意象——也令人想到「云母屏风烛影深」（李商隐）的意象；「羯鼓」令人想到「羯鼓」写羯鼓的意象——唐玄宗善击羯鼓，也令人想到「羯鼓催花」的意象；「薛王」令人想到「薛王」写唐睿宗子李业的意象——玄宗从弟，也令人想到「薛王沉醉寿王醒」的意象；「寿王」令人想到「寿王」写唐玄宗子李瑁的意象——寿王妃即杨玉环，也令人想到「寿王醒」的意象。全词化用龙池、云屏、羯鼓、薛王、寿王的意象典故，以讽刺写咏史，正是李商隐「深婉」而善咏史、承讽刺传统写含蓄之本领。「寿王」指唐玄宗第十八子李瑁，封寿王，其妃杨玉环被玄宗所夺，后封贵妃。李商隐以「寿王醒」写寿王在宴席上独醒，正是以史事入诗，而「醒」字双关——既写未醉，更写其清醒知痛，含蓄地揭出夺妃的伦常之痛。

Commentary

The poem has long been counted among the finest of Li Shangyin's historical quatrains and among the most compressed satires in Tang poetry. Later critics praised it for writing its reproach without a single word of reproach; modern readers single out the last line, where the whole satire turns on two princes and one word of contrast. Its special place is that four lines hold a whole palace night and a whole scandal at once — the pool, the screen, the drum, the clock, and the two sleeping brothers — while the judgement is left entirely to the reader. It stands beside the same poet's 'Ma Wei, the Second', where the same catastrophe is treated with a public machine instead of a private night, and beside Du Mu's 'Passing the Huaqing Palace', which mocks the same court through a lychee; the three read together show how Tang satire came to work by hints alone.

此诗历来被推为李商隐咏史诗的名篇，也是唐人写玄宗夺妃事的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以讽刺写咏史，不着一字而讽意自见」；近人更指出「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写寿王的清醒，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽龙池的宴乐与寿王的清醒——那龙池，那赐酒，那云屏，那羯鼓，那声高，那众乐停，那夜半，那宫漏永，那薛王，那沉醉，那寿王，那醒，都写尽了李商隐笔下的龙池；那「薛王沉醉寿王醒」更以反讽写尽讽刺的深致。此诗与李商隐《马嵬》（「海外徒闻更九州」）同为咏玄宗杨妃名篇，一写「如何四纪为天子，不及卢家有莫愁」的马嵬（马嵬），一写「薛王沉醉寿王醒」的龙池（龙池）；又与杜牧《过华清宫》「一骑红尘妃子笑」的讽刺传统一脉相承，可见中国诗写咏史讽刺的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐咏史诗的窗口，也是中国诗写含蓄讽刺的经典——那独醒的寿王，穿越千年，仍在诉说着讽刺的深致。

Prosody

Form A seven-character quatrain (qiyan jueju)诗·七言绝句

Rhyme Rhyme on ting (stopped) and xing (awake), the 'Qing' rhyme of the lower rising tone; one rhyme carried to the end, the cadence compressed and held in.七绝，押「停」「醒」韵（下平九青），一韵到底，音节含蓄

Tone pattern A seven-character jueju in level tone, one rhyme through, the cadence compressed and held in — in keeping with the poem's restraint.此诗为七言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节含蓄，正合讽刺的含蓄。

Reading note Four lines: 'At the Dragon Pool the wine is given out behind the cloud screen, and the risen beat of the skin drum silences all other music. Half the night, the feast over, the palace clock drags on, Prince Xue lies sunk in wine, and Prince Shou lies wide awake.' It rhymes in the Qing rhyme (ting, xing) and holds one rhyme to the end, the sound pressed close and closed. A short piece: the first half writes the banquet and the drum, the third the dragging of the night, and the last the two princes — and the last two words carry the whole satire. Read the opening as pageant, the third line as a slowing, and the last line as a plain fact spoken quietly. Li Shangyin's quatrains are famous for suggesting more than they say, and this is among the most compressed of them.此诗为七言绝句，四句——「龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停。夜半宴归宫漏永，薛王沉醉寿王醒」，押「青」韵（停、醒），一韵到底，音节含蓄。全诗以讽刺写咏史：前三句写龙池的宴乐（龙池赐酒敞云屏、羯鼓声高众乐停），后一句写寿王的清醒（薛王沉醉寿王醒）。四句短章，前写宴乐，后写讽刺，以「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写尽寿王的清醒，正见李商隐「深婉」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以含蓄的语调读「龙池赐酒敞云屏」的宴乐，以低回的语调读「薛王沉醉寿王醒」的讽刺，结句要读得含蓄而有余韵，方能传达出李商隐的不着一字而讽意自见。李商隐绝句以「深婉」著称，此诗正是其咏史绝句的典范。

Line by line

薛王沉醉寿王醒

Prince Xue lies sunk in wine, and Prince Shou lies wide awake.

薛王沉醉寿王醒。

The Prince of Xue lies drunk; the Prince of Shou stays awake.

此句是全诗写讽刺的核心，以薛王沉醉写沉醉，以寿王醒写醒，写尽寿王的清醒，是千古名句。「薛王沉醉」写薛王沉醉——那「薛王」写薛王，「沉醉」写沉醉，写尽薛王的沉醉；「寿王醒」写寿王醒——那「寿王」写寿王，「醒」写醒，写尽寿王的醒。这句的深意在于：它以「薛王沉醉」的沉醉与「寿王醒」的醒，写尽寿王的清醒——薛王沉醉，那「薛王沉醉」写尽薛王的沉醉——薛王沉醉，正是众乐的写照，那「沉醉」写尽宴会的狂欢；寿王醒，那「寿王醒」写尽寿王的醒——寿王独醒，正是清醒的写照，那「醒」写尽寿王的清醒；那「薛王沉醉」写尽薛王的沉醉，那「寿王醒」写尽寿王的醒，一写沉醉，一写醒，写尽寿王的清醒——薛王沉醉而寿王独醒，正是讽刺的深致；此句以沉醉、醒写尽寿王的清醒，也让此句成为全诗写讽刺的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「寿王很痛苦」，则失其含蓄；唯以「薛王沉醉」写沉醉、「寿王醒」写醒，写尽寿王的清醒，也让此句成为全诗写讽刺的核心。

The contrast. The Prince of Xue lies drunk; the Prince of Shou stays awake. The cousins, one drunk with the feast, the other awake with his grief (his wife now the emperor's), are the whole satire in seven words. To have contrasted the two princes would be a contrast; the Prince-of-Xue-lies-drunk against the Prince-of-Shou-stays-awake is the contrast.

龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停

At the Dragon Pool the wine is given out behind the cloud screen, and the risen beat of the skin drum silences all other music.

龙池赐酒敞云屏，羯鼓声高众乐停。

At the Dragon Pool, wine is bestowed and the cloud screens opened; the jie-drum sounds high, all other music stops.

此二句是全诗写宴乐的核心，以龙池赐酒敞云屏写赐酒，以羯鼓声高众乐停写羯鼓，写尽龙池的宴乐，是千古名句。「龙池赐酒敞云屏」写龙池赐酒敞云屏——那「龙池赐酒」写龙池赐酒，「敞云屏」写敞云屏，写尽龙池的赐酒；「羯鼓声高众乐停」写羯鼓声高众乐停——那「羯鼓声高」写羯鼓声高，「众乐停」写众乐停，写尽羯鼓的高亢。这句的深意在于：它以「龙池赐酒敞云屏」的赐酒与「羯鼓声高众乐停」的羯鼓，写尽龙池的宴乐——龙池赐酒敞云屏，那「龙池赐酒敞云屏」写尽龙池的赐酒——龙池赐酒，云屏大开，正是宴乐的写照，那「赐酒」写尽宫中宴乐的奢华；羯鼓声高众乐停，那「羯鼓声高众乐停」写尽羯鼓的高亢——羯鼓声高，众乐皆停，正是鼓乐的写照，那「众乐停」写尽宴乐的盛况；那「龙池赐酒敞云屏」写尽龙池的赐酒，那「羯鼓声高众乐停」写尽羯鼓的高亢，一写赐酒，一写羯鼓，写尽龙池的宴乐——赐酒敞屏而羯鼓高奏，正是宫中宴乐的写照；此二句以赐酒、羯鼓写尽龙池的宴乐，也为后文的醉醒作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写宴乐的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「宫里开宴会，很热闹」，则失其华贵；唯以「龙池赐酒敞云屏」写赐酒、「羯鼓声高众乐停」写羯鼓，写尽龙池的宴乐，也让此二句成为全诗写宴乐的核心。

The drum. At the Dragon Pool, wine is bestowed and the cloud screens opened; the jie-drum sounds high, all other music stops. The opened screens and the jie-drum that silences all other music are the emperor's feast. To have described the palace banquet would be a scene; the Dragon-Pool-wine-bestowed-cloud-screens-opened against the jie-drum-sounds-high-all-other-music-stops is the scene.

Study

Word focus

高 In 'the risen beat of the skin drum', gao means high, loud, raised. It is the key word of the second line: the drum is struck so high and so loud that every other instrument must stop, so one sound overrules the whole band. Because this one word makes the music into a domination, the extravagance of the feast is also its complaint. 「羯鼓声高众乐停」之「高」字是写宴乐的关键词，一个「高」字写尽羯鼓的高亢。高者，高亢、高昂也。李商隐以「羯鼓声高众乐停」写宴乐，这个「高」字至少有双重意味：其一，写声之高——那「羯鼓声高众乐停」写羯鼓声高众乐停，那「高」字写尽羯鼓的高亢——声高众停，正是鼓乐的写照，那「高」字写尽宴乐的盛况；其二，写势之盛——那「高」字更是写盛——高，正见宴乐的盛大，那「高」字写尽龙池的宴乐。以「高」字写宴乐，正是李商隐写咏史的枢纽——若换作「响」「亮」等字，则或失其与「羯鼓声」「众乐停」的配合，或失其写高的意味；唯「高」字，以羯鼓声高众乐停写尽羯鼓的高亢与宴乐的盛大，与「薛王沉醉寿王醒」的醉醒相合，写尽龙池的宴乐，也让「羯鼓声高众乐停」成为全诗写宴乐的名句。

醒 In 'Prince Shou lies wide awake', xing means to wake, to come to full consciousness. It is the key word of the whole poem: one prince is drunk and the other is awake, and the single word 'awake' is where the satire lands. The reader knows why he is awake, and because the poet never says so, the word carries the reproach of an entire court. 「薛王沉醉寿王醒」之「醒」字是写讽刺的关键词，一个「醒」字写尽寿王的清醒。醒者，清醒、醒悟也。李商隐以「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写讽刺，这个「醒」字至少有双重意味：其一，写王之醒——那「薛王沉醉寿王醒」写薛王沉醉寿王醒，那「醒」字写尽寿王的清醒——寿王独醒，正是清醒的写照，那「醒」字写尽寿王的痛苦；其二，写讽之深——那「醒」字更是写讽——醒，正见讽刺的深致，那「醒」字写尽李商隐的讽刺。以「醒」字写讽刺，正是李商隐写咏史的枢纽——若换作「清」「明」等字，则或失其与「薛王沉醉」「寿王」的配合，或失其写醒的意味；唯「醒」字，以薛王沉醉寿王醒写尽寿王的清醒与讽刺的深致，与「羯鼓声高众乐停」的众乐停相合，写尽寿王的清醒，也让「薛王沉醉寿王醒」成为全诗写讽刺的名句。

龙池